Wherever I'm With You
by tiggeryumyum
Summary: Duo is tasked with keeping a de-aged Wufei safe.  Meanwhile, he does his best to rebuild a previously failed relationship, and deals with the tensions of a possible political revolt. Wufei and Duo centric, with a heavy dose of Duo/Heero
1. Chapter 1

**Notes**: This fic focuses primarily on Wufei and Duo's relationship, but it will not be romantic. This is 2x1, although that will take something of a backseat. Quatre and Trowa will show up toward the end of the fic.

**205 AC**

There's rioting on Earth and it's spreading the colonies.

Duo watches the violence rise and fall from his cramped apartment in L2, piggybacking on various news feeds, security cameras. Thirty screens displaying thirty different altercations - only five are live, the rest are recordings, the stuff Duo missed while tinkering in his shop downstairs.

He's watched enough of these events in the past year to know there's something off. Riots happen, yeah, but there's an oddly manufactured pattern to these ones, and if he didn't have access to raw material, he might suspect the news of warmongering. But they're not, the violence is real, and really happening, just as they say: the riots start, crowds rush and destroy and pillage, Preventers show up, they end. Another riot starts up on the other side of the state, anger and discontent picking up and going with it. There are no efforts being made to keep the peace in the areas that rioted, because there's no need for it. The towns immediately begin picking up the pieces, falling back to their relatively peaceful way of life.

But, if Duo is going to be honest, he couldn't care less about the riots.

He doubts he's the only one to've noticed the obvious rabble rousing, and he's never assisted the Preventers in that capacity - he's not a detective or problem solver or a brain. He's a shadow, and he's not watching the feeds to figure out who is trying to seed discontent in the population.

Duo shovels cereal into his mouth and monitors the activity, waiting. He put the rioting on C-035, C-006 and A-0059 on the higher screens, and the Earth rioting, the ones in Tokyo and Kyoto, on the very center screens. Duo really, really doubts they'd send Heero to the colonies. If he's anywhere he'd be in Japan, but, if he's going to be honest, that's kind of a long shot, too. He can't imagine Agent 01 being their first choice for crowd control, but he can tell Preventers are spread pretty thin. A fire is a fire, and Agent 01 can certainly handle a fire.

There's absolutely no chance that Heero would actually make it on camera, but Duo can recognize his work and all he wants is a glimpse, which, if he's going to be honest, is pretty creepy. This is basically the secret agent equivalent of looking through an ex's trash, and he wouldn't have to resort to this kind of stalker activity, he used to be able to check up on Heero with just a few clicks and a twitch of his nose, but about a year ago, all of Agent 01's activities went to the strictest classification. The kind of lock down that not even Duo can crack without getting a shuttle and visiting the HQ in person, and -

"Huh?" Duo pauses, leaving the spoon in his mouth when his laptop monitor, which had been displaying Denver riots, starts flickering, as it usually does when he has an incoming message. Sue enough, there's a flashing new letter in his inbox. He pauses everything, taking a moment to decipher the standard Preventer code.

_02: __**CODE WHITE. MEL'S HOAGIES**_

Duo snorts, licking the spoon once then tossing both it and the bowl over his shoulder, into the massive pile of plates and garbage covering his floor. Mel's? For real? For a code _white?_ It takes about three seconds to track down the feed for that grease bowl, and . . . yes. For real. Mel's is having a good day when three people sit at the counter, and yet there are currently eleven very fit, well cut, well groomed young people in casual clothes in the diner. Preventer muscle.

He lets out a low whistle when Lady Une herself walks in. So it really is a code white, too. Huh.

Because Mel is a cheap bastard, the quality of the feed is grainy, black and white and fuzzy enough for Duo to write off the kid holding her hand as Mariemaia until he remembers that no, she's turning sixteen and hasn't been that small in almost ten years. He takes a closer look, leaning toward the screen, then freezes.

He knows that kid.

He grabs his coat and barrels out the door.

x

The main thing is that Chang Wufei has been dead five years.

But as soon as Duo thinks it, the main thing becomes: _now, why the hell did he believe that? _There were no remains. He didn't even think to question it. Obviously this was a mistake because Chang Wufei is very much not dead.

Well, let's just get it over with. He's also a kid. Chang Wufei is (maybe?) about five years old and he's sitting across from Duo at Mel's Hoagies, staring forward with a remarkably bored look on his face.

Une watches Duo expectantly, waiting for a response, waiting for him to open the folder that she's passed his way. It sits under his hands, ready and waiting, but he's kind of barely keeping in his hysterical laughter/confusion/tears/general freak out as it is, he's not reading this in front of her.

"So, Une!" Duo forces a smile. "When'd they start letting you outside?"

"When the situation calls for it," Une says, deadpan as hell. She's stiff, back straight and shoulders back, she pretty much _stinks_ of guilt, which confirms a lot of things about this whole _kid_ situation, in one neat little package: she's responsible, she needs a favor, and, most importantly, this is the real deal. This is not a clone, this is not a son, this is not a relation. This is Chang Wufei. Une is a shit actress and there's no way she'd work up guilt about anything but one of those options.

"What is the situation, exactly? I can't remember the last time I was briefed in a fast food joint," Duo says, fiddling thoughtlessly with the folder, running his thumb up the thick corner, through the pages. Une's eyes are trained on his finger's movements sorta like a dog following a bone, and Duo wishes that this whole situation didn't involve the resurrection and mutilation of a friend, because otherwise it'd be pretty funny.

"Unfortunately I don't have time to be anything but blunt," Une says, and gestures at the child beside her. "Chang Wufei is not dead."

"No," Duo says, _almost_ not sarcastically, but not heavy enough for her to pick up on, and she continues.

"His death was faked by allied rebels, and we were only recently able to recover him. We discovered that he underwent various . . . treatments - "

"No!" Duo says again, and that was forcing it. Une's eyes narrow.

"I take it you already discovered Project Rebirth."

"Just recently," Duo says. Like about ten minutes ago. There had been no question, at all, as soon as he saw Wufei, he knew exactly who that boy was, or used to be, and he's not even sure how. Maybe some latent newtype ability. Maybe there's just something uniquely Wufei about the kid that's impossible to fake, that Duo could pick up on even through the grainy security camera. The little springy ponytail? Maybe.

Une huffs. "Who else - No. There's no time. We've been compromised. I need you to take Chang off the radar."

Duo eyes Wufei again, but he's not showing much in way of response. Bored, or maybe even zoned out? Are his eyes even in focus? Duo grabs a sugar packet on the edge of the table, shaking it idly as he considers: What the hell is going on? Seeing Wufei zoned out in public is almost weirder than him turning up minus a few decades - well okay, no, it's not, but it's close.

"What's he on?" Duo asks.

Une raises an eyebrow. "On?"

Duo flicks the sugar packet toward Wufei. It hits one soft, round cheek, then lands on the table. Wufei's expression remains unchanged, his gaze doesn't even twitch.

"If I'm gonna be carrying this kid around then I'm gonna need to know what sort of downer you've been feeding him."

"His system's clean, if that's what you're saying," Une says. "Rebirth was built on behavior modification. What did you think that would look like?"

Duo's expression goes about as blank as Wufei's - smooth and unreadable. "Don't really see the point in creating a catatonic five year old."

"Neither do I, frankly," Une says. "But it we didn't have time for stealth when we brought him here, who knows how many people are closing in on this location as we speak. We really don't really have the time to sit here and discuss the practical applications -"

She stops, eyebrows rising. A man and woman enter the restaurant, and hey, maybe it's possible that two ridiculously fit body builders decided to get together in the middle of the work day and check out the greasiest food available in L2, but Duo's money is on hostile agents.

"Go," Une says.

Keeping his movements slow and calm, lifting his body to block Wufei from the pair's immediate sweep of the diner, Duo takes the folder and leans forward, tucking it into Wufei's shirt. He then stands, casually taking Wufei's hand - no resistance, good - and leading him toward the bathrooms.

Depending on the severity if the hostile's reaction to their movement, he'll either hoist Wufei over his shoulder and make a dash for the doors in the back, but preferably, they'll make a quieter exit out the storm windows in the bathroom. Duo's twenty-five, and he's gotten quite a bit bigger since his glory days as a teenage terrorist, but he's still small-ish and can squeeze through most openings when need be. There is concern about Wufei, though - he's allowing Duo to lead him, little legs moving, but will he know to land if Duo forces him through window about seven feet off the ground? Will he know _how_?

_BLAM! - BLAMBLAM!_

Out the back door it is!

Duo hoists Wufei up easily, he's ridiculously light against his hip, and he immediately begins clinging, arms and legs, a bit like a koala, courteously freeing Duo's hands.

"Thanks," Duo mutters, flying out the back alley. He's pretty sure the two hostiles won't be making it out of the restaurant, not with Une and eleven of her men, but Duo doubts they're the only ones in the area. Or in the sector.

They need to get off L2.

x

"_This is an injustice!_" Duo says. "Well, sorry, Wufei. But they're gonna be looking for a little boy from L5, you know? I gotta disguise you somehow. You kind of stick out."

Duo tucks a few essentials and Wufei's previous outfit into a tiny pink backpack, then his own braid under his hat.

"_I would rather fight them face to face and die like a man than hide and escape as a female!_"

"Oh, Wufei!" Duo sighs. Of course, real Wufei had no response, verbal or otherwise, to the floral dress Duo pulled over his head. Wufei has done nothing but stare forward, sigh once or twice, track movement with his eyes every so often, but that's about it. This is all disarming, disturbing, enraging, even, but Duo is on the move will have time to think about it in contexts other than how it could help or hinder them later. Unless Duo's plans involve sitting and contemplating Wufei as he's surrounded on all sides by hostiles, he has to keep moving -

Damn. He forgot shoes.

Duo digs through the backpack and considers the white tennis shoes Wufei originally came with. Unfortunately, he doesn't know much about little girls, little boys, or the subtle differences in shoes they chose to wear, so the contemplation does little good. He shrugs and slips the impossibly tiny things back on Wufei's feet.

The dress alone is enough to pass as a girl, easily, but odds are that they're familiar with that signature little tail of hair, so Duo pulls it out, ruffles the thin strands - Ah, mistake. Fucking mistake. His hair is now a mess and Duo doesn't have a comb, and such an unkempt child will definitely get looks, especially with an adult male on his own. Duo winces, finger combing it as best he can, Wufei's head rocking limply with the motion when Duo snags on a tangle. He's dismayed to discover that the hair beneath his fingers is almost greasy to the touch, covered in a kind of grimy layer that comes from using only water to rinse it out for months on end, and Duo -

Does not have time to think about the conditions Wufei's been living in!

When Wufei's hair is as tamed as it's going to get, Duo cuts a long, thin strap from the backpack, tying it in place around Wufei's head as a makeshift headband, and it looks suitably adorable.

"First trip to Earth, sweetheart?" The stewardess smiles brightly at Wufei at the gate. He's clinging to Duo in the full body koala-hug again, ankles crossed over Duo's hip, which is less convenient when you're not running away from hostiles, and more incredibly noticeable. The body language screams _terrified_, and just a little too young, even for a five year old.

"She's shy," Duo laughs, once again attempting to tip Wufei's head onto his shoulder, hoping to pass him off as tired, but his head immediately rises, eyes staying open.

It's a midday flight and there are only eight passengers, so they're given a decent amount of privacy, three rows between them and the nearest person. Duo takes the aisle seat, and Wufei straps himself in as soon as he's set down. Duo watches him move, trying to figure out what the line is, here. He can respond to a seatbelt, but not a goddamn sugar packet thrown at his face?

"Time for some answers," Duo mutters to Wufei, yanking out the report, and _wow_ it is disconcerting how Wufei is just staring at the seat ahead of him, mouth slightly open. They have privacy, but the stewardesses are still mobile and Wufei is the only child on the flight. They're going to get attention.

Duo pulls Wufei closer, making him lean against his chest, and as long as Duo keeps his hand holding him there, it kind of looks like Wufei is reading the open folder along with him, if you don't notice how his eyes aren't moving along the page at all.

_Mission Status: Completed _

_Target [Agent 05/Pilot 05] retrieved [from Sojuznyj's Turkish base]. _

_Sojuznyj [is a rebel faction centered on Earth, in the eastern European region] Sojuznyj was not viewed as a serious threat in the past [While HQ was aware of Sojuznyj's potential reach, their objectives were focused on local political scuffles]. Sojuznyj's collaborations with White Fang, CAO, RaTT, Barton Foundation, New OZ, [among others] were brief and directly related to financial concerns. (See Reports 20.304, 43.5422) _

_[After three months of surveillance it was discovered that] Sojuznyj's previous local objectives were a front. Their true objectives are to weaken [ESUN] and encourage conflict between global and colony powers. _

_Project Rebirth [was one of Sojuznyj's attempts to make this happen.] Mission objective [to retrieve 05] was completed with minimal damage. Sojuznyj operatives and base was swept clean. Agent 04's cover as a financial backer in Project Rebirth was maintained and may be of use in future Sojuznyj infiltration. _

_[Target healthy and agents unharmed.] _

_[Because of the wide and unorganized expanse of Sojuznyj,] the full objective of Project Rebirth are unknown [and could not be found out by exhaustive interrogation: despite working directly with the target, no one at the particular facility was informed of overall objectives]. The full extent of 05's augmentation are unknown. 05 is functional and uninjured. 05 [was initially unresponsive]._

_05 was conditioned to [respond to] trigger phrases. All phrases are coded in an Earth dialect [Russian]. The following [phrases, translations and results were] retrieved by Agent 04 and have not been verified as of yet. [There are possibly more phrases that were not fully documented at the Turkish facility]_

_**Rasslab'sja, ja jetim zajmus. (Don't worry, I'll see to everything) - Sleep**_

_**Schastlivogo puti. (Have a comfortable journey) - Stand-by**_

_**Nam nuzhen perevodchik. (We need an interpreter) - Full consciousness**_

_**Ty ne boleesh? (Aren't you sick?) - Pause**_

_**Mojo zolotce. (My golden one) - Activate **_

_Ending notes:_

_[Active agents on this mission recommend that] the threat level of Sojuznyj be reassessed. Sohuznyj's ties with [various rebel factions] are much deeper than previously assumed. _

_[Active agents on this mission recommend that] 05 should be kept under strict Preventer custody and monitored carefully, [both for his own well-being, and the safety of those around him]. _

_[Active agents on this mission recommend that] the existence of Project Rebirth [as well as the status and location of 05] be [kept on highest possible security clearance]. _

_**Report compiled by Agent 01 on 03.15.0204**_

_**Report edited by Agent 04 on 03.15.0204**_

Duo almost laughs, but knows it would sound Joker-level crazy so he doesn't. He really didn't need the signatures at the end to know Heero had written this up, but still. Seeing it was something like a light slap to the face. There's something about his clunky yet efficient report write ups that send Duo tumbling back to a decade ago, a teenager with stick thin arms and legs, stinging eyes and the hopelessly, stupidly optimistic offer of his heart, the hopelessly, stupidly optimistic belief that that would solve everything.

So this is what Heero's been up to? It doesn't take him long to do the math, this mission took place over a year ago, and Duo doubts it's a coincidence it's square in the ballpark of when Heero's activities were sealed.

He skims the report brief again. He hadn't given much thought to the folder before, disinterested in the lies and heavy editing these reports always end up getting before seeing the light of day - cleaned up to the point of uselessness by the time a wildcard like Duo gets his hands on one. But now, he's sort of actively dreading the rest of it, the prospect of reading Heero's name again, and again.

This is what he wanted though, right? This is what he was combing through those videos for: just a sign, a glimpse. Apparently Duo didn't even know _what_ he was looking for, or what he wanted. His heart is pounding hard, and he feels oddly exposed, like Heero's going to get a notification each time Duo's heart tripped up as he read this report.

But! Keep moving, keep moving, the rhythm of Wufei's slow, placid breathing reminds him of where he is in terms of this assignment and exactly how far away that is from being able to hold any pity parties. Or get upset that neither Quatre or Heero saw the need to tell him that _OH YEAH WUFEI ISN'T DEAD._

_Heero_ he can understand, but Quatre? But - whatever.

So.

_Full consciousness._ Duo mouths the phrase carefully, _nahm new-zhen peha-vod-chick_? _PeRAH-vod-check_? Freaking Russian. He's reasonably sure Wufei is on stand-by status at the moment, he can't imagine anything more stand-by-esque than this, and it sure as hell isn't fully conscious.

His gut is saying to try the phrase, which is dumb. They're in an enclosed space, and it's been five years since he last talked to Wufei, let alone whatever they've been doing to him. He has absolutely no clue what sort of temperament he could be greeted with, what Wufei is on stand-by _from_ - _for the safety of those around him_? - and if the two of them _were_ spotted getting on this shuttle back on L2, a not-so-welcome wagon waiting on Earth, would his 'full consciousness' mode help? Would Duo be better off with a doll he's reasonably sure won't wander away from whatever corner he sticks it in? Yikes, the unconscious use of _it_ in that sentence is gross enough to pretty much guilt Duo into trying the trigger. Besides, he can't remember the last time his gut led him wrong.

The shuttle bathroom is cramped as hell, really built to discourage anything more than one person at a time, and he ends up lifting Wufei to sit on the toilet just for standing room.

"_Nam no-zen perevodchik_."

Wufei blinks, blank as ever. Duo makes a face, and refuses to believe anyone actually speaks this language.

"_Namm nuch-zen peerVADchick._"

Nothing.

"_NAHm nuh-shen PEHA-vod-chik_."

Maxwell Church had a massive fireplace, and Duo remembers helping Father Maxwell tend the fires, the thrill he'd get at being entrusted with the poker, stirring up the black coals, how they'd light up with bright red in warning before simmering back to a brighter, deeper black than before, and he's reminded of this, those coals, as Wufei's eyes abruptly flare to life.

Wufei gasps, jerking all over in an obviously involuntary series of twitches, his brain stem apparently reintroducing the rest of his brain to his body.

"_Shenme_ - _zài nǎlǐ - " he stutters out, thankfully pretty quietly. The bathroom also isn't designed for privacy._

"Wufei? Hey, you with me?"'

"Maxwell," he says, eyes wide and wild. "What - what - "

"We're in a civilian shuttle," Duo says. "We're about three hours from Earth."

Wufei stares at Duo, breathing hard and fast, obviously trying to collect himself. It's strange - his blank and lifelessness of before made him look like a doll more than anything, but with his face lit up in fear and confusion, he looks like the Wufei he knows, but also more like a child, a more vulnerable thing, and the contrast makes him seem even smaller, the fists on Duo's shirt particularly tiny.

"Are we - followed? Were we compromised?"

"Hopefully not but probably, and yes," Duo says. Wufei nods, pulling back his hands, composing himself. "So I don't suppose you can save me some reading and shed any light on this situation," Duo says. "Like, what the hell is going on? Who's after us? Why they took you to begin with?"

Wufei frowns. The expression is an almost perfect miniature of older Wufei, to the point that Duo has to swallow a hysterical laugh. "A civilian shuttle? Is it - secure?"

"Man, at this point anyone's who's on us, is on us. The only one in the dark here is me."

" . . . And me. I don't have the answers to any of your questions," Wufei says sullenly, gaze drifting down, like he's admitting some personal failing. "What year is it?"

"'05," Duo says. "Almost October." Wufei nods, taking this in slowly. "Is, uh. Is that pretty close? To what you thought it was?"

Wufei shrugs, still radiating shame. "I didn't think it was anything. I've stopped guessing." He freezes then, and spots a strand of hair breaking free of the headband out the corner of his eye. He grabs it and stares at it. " . . . What is this?"

Duo doesn't even bother to hide his shit-eating grin, grateful for the tension breaker and stepping back to allow Wufei a decent view of the dingy little mirror above the sink.

Wufei stares at himself, blinking rapidly. _Haha, this is gonna be good!_

"I - I don't like it," he says, looking positively heartbroken, shoulders hitching up in an unmistakably childlike move. He looks up at Duo in an open, vulnerable plea for him to fix this. "Maxwell?"

. . . And that _woooshing_ sound is the wind officially leaving his sails.

"I know, I knew you'd hate it," Duo says. "But I had to disguise you somehow, and it's not like you'd make a convincing midget. It's just until we make it to somewhere secure on Earth, alright?"

"That could take weeks," Wufei says, his face is _falling_, is he going to _cry?_

"Nah, I've got like, six hide outs in the area we're landing," Duo says. "Just a ten minute drive, we'll be there before you even know it, Master Chang."

"Stop," Wufei says, pulling away, and his knees up to his chest.

"Stop what?" Duo bends down as best he can in the cramped space to look him in the eyes. Which are dry. False alarm on the tears.

"Don't be nice like that," he says, maybe trying to scowl but that is definitely a pout. "It's condescending, Maxwell. I won't allow you to placate me!"

Oh, Jesus. He missed Wufei. Stiff, easily ruffled Wufei. "But what if I want to?"

"I won't allow it!"

"Alright, alright," Duo says. "I'll be an asshole."

"Good!"

"It's gonna be hard to resist, though, you make such a cute girl," Duo says. Oh. Apparently that was below the belt.

"You - made me look humiliating - and now you - you think it's funny," Wufei says, obviously fighting to compose himself, hugging his knees tighter, more defensively. So maybe Wufei doesn't want Duo to be an _asshole_ as much as be better at hiding any kindness.

"You don't look humiliating, Wufei," Duo says. "If you looked humiliating you'd stick out, eh? You just look like a kid."

"I don't want to look like a kid," it's just short of a wail. "You're an adult. And Yuy is an adult. And I'm wearing a dress, on a t-toilet."

Duo makes a little noise of sympathy - then blinks in surprise. He's been rubbing Wufei's knee as a comfort instinctively, the surprise being that Wufei's allowing it. But why is that a surprise? Obviously Wufei has been - somewhat affected by his current condition. Understandably.

There's a knock on the door, and both of them immediately sober, staring at each other as the stewardess's muffled voice drifts in. "Sir? Are you in need of assistance?"

It's already become habit for him to hoist Wufei up into his arms - but not for Wufei, who obviously wasn't expecting it, and disapproves, stiff as a board, but knows better than to make a fuss when Duo opens the bathroom door.

"We're good. Someone's just a little afraid of flying," Duo says with a smile, nodding toward Wufei, who's still red-faced, eyes slightly red-rimmed.

"Aw, doll face. Well, it's almost over," the stewardess says, and her smile is so sweet, Duo rushes them back to their seats before she can see the hellfire that's been raised in Wufei's eyes.

Wufei does not buckle his seatbelt, and it may have been five years, but Duo can remember being partnered with Wufei in the past, the eggshell walk of trying to figure out what Wufei will best respond to - a gentle reminder that'll go ignored? An order that would be seen as an insult? So he just defaults to what worked five years ago; not giving Wufei a choice, reaching over and buckling it himself.

Wufei glares - he really is a cute kid - but turns his attention to the window.

Earth is a massive, imposing shape, and only growing more so as they approach. Duo hunts out the the line of his original trajectory, the one he made disguised as a shooting star so many years ago, something he has a habit of tracing when approaching Earth. He gazes over the massive chunks of land, the forests and smog of cities. He smirks. So many, many places to hide.

Duo's no stranger to going off the grid for months at a time, though he's never taken anyone with him before. But considering the person is Wufei, it shouldn't make that much of a difference, right? It's not like it's some politician or royalty or whatever. Wufei obviously still knows the score, even if he is somewhat . . . compromised.

Once they land, Duo will head to his Bludhaven safe house - it's the closest, and the isolated location will mean the smallest mess when they're inevitably tracked down by Sojuznyj, or anyone else who's interested in a vulnerable, mindfucked ex-Gundom pilot. They'll stay in Jersey as long as they can manage before seeking cover in his Kyoto hideout. Wufei could somewhat blend with the populace there, and there's enough of a tourist presence that Duo won't stick out too badly either. After they're spotted in Japan, there's E-0331. It's a long, boring trip to the ratty ass colony, but they should be able to keep a low profile there for at least two or three weeks.

Duo spins the folder in his hands, idly laying out a potential year or so of travel, well beyond what they could possibly need, going over the list of favors he can call in for when various arrangements fail. And talking about shit hitting the fan. . . .

"So, where are you in terms of, uh, defending yourself? Fighting?" Duo asks, sudden enough to make Wufei start. Duo fully expects a violent confirmation from Wufei, along with anger that there could be any doubt about it, but all he gets is an angry little shrug. " . . . What does that mean?"

"Have you not humiliated me enough?" Wufei snaps, hands in fists, and Duo's eyebrows raise in surprise when he sees that they're shaking with anger.

Duo opens his mouth to say something comforting, then to tease, then to ask a question, thinking better of it each time. He's startled when Wufei starts speaking again on his own.

"There's footage," Wufei mutters, eyes staring forward and something only he can see, and it's _beyond creepy_ with that little voice. "Of myself fighting. Like this, like I am now, after I've been shut down."

"And?"

"It's not me. I don't remember it, those aren't my - moves. Or tactics."

"But it's good?"

Wufei scowls and turns back to the window. So Wufei doesn't really want to talk about the detailed results of his brain getting fucked sideways. Duo supposes he can understand that, but he still needs to know. He sighs, supposing he could actually read the rest of the report. . . .

But then again, there's only so much a five year old body is capable of anyway. Duo isn't banking on Wufei defending himself even if Wufei swore on the name of his ancestors that he was ten times better than ever, and no write up from even the one and only Heero Yuy would change that.

x

The shuttle opens and they're immediately bombarded by the mayhem of the space port. Mundane mayhem, but mayhem all the same. Space ports on Earth are oddly muted but frantic - civilians rushing, but in straight, regulated lines. He's grown used to it by now, though, and it takes Duo a second to realize what's going on with Wufei, why he's sticking so closely to Duo's thigh, scanning the crowds. He's nervous.

Understandably. Earth is fucking crowded.

You think you're used to press of human bodies in a colony, but no, a colony has limits and regulations, if it's overcapacity, people are getting off, and no one else is getting on. Duo's pretty sure that no one's really calculated the capacity limit for New Jersey, and people mill wherever they want. He had some experience with the sheer size of the crowds during the war, but the day-to-day grind of the place took some getting used to. It was overwhelming, a constant but steady buzz of complete strangers rushing over and past him, a never ending tide.

Wufei bumps against his thigh again, and Duo opens his mouth to tease, ask if he's feeling a shy. But then he remembers the shuttle bathroom, how he'd been so - open and vulnerable. So Duo just takes his hand instead, hurrying along.

"Maxwell!" Wufei says suddenly, giving a sudden bid for freedom, jerking at his arm. "I need to - attend my business."

"What?" Duo asks. He's going to be frank here, five years ago it felt like he only understood about a third of what Wufei said, and it doesn't look like much has changed.

"I need to use the restroom," Wufei says, the tight-lipped expression odd and hilarious on his little face.

There's a bit of dithering as they approach - he shouldn't let Wufei out of his sight, but does Wufei look young enough to be escorted into the men's bathroom by a father? Whatever, Wufei doesn't think twice about it, marching straight into the men's bathroom with his chin held high as ever.

As he waits for Wufei to _complete his business_, Duo decides to drain what little of the coffee he was able to drink this morning, whistling loudly as he goes about it.

"Maxwell!"

"What?"

"Is that really necessary?" his little voice asks sharply from the stall, and Duo beams to himself, eyes actually watering. He didn't cry at Wufei's funeral, too numb and shocked and distracted for such traditional mourning, but over the years he's missed the ornery little guy like a physical ache.

"I think it is, yeah," Duo says, and starts whistling a little louder, tapping his toes as he finishes, zipping himself up, strolling over to the sink. His whistling stops when he sees Wufei in the mirror behind him. He's taken off the dress, back in the scrub-like outfit he originally wore.

"That dress will give us about five seconds at best!" Wufei says, pointing his finger accusingly before Duo can so much as open his mouth. "It's not worth it! I won't wear it!"

Duo shrugs. "Alright," he says. He hands Wufei back his little fastener and watches him pull his hair back into place with harsh little jerks.

Honestly, Wufei is probably right. Long clan is an incredibly distinctive group, impossible to miss if you know what you're looking for, and a little girl from A0206 wouldn't exactly _sneak by_ someone looking for a little boy from A0206. Twenty minutes into making a getaway, the disguise would probably help, but five hours later? Not so much.

Duo sighs and pockets the essentials, tucking the folder away, and they leave the backpack and dress behind. Wufei seems much more confident now in the horde of strangers, though he doesn't protest when Duo takes his hand again.

"_Attention. All incoming passengers should report to the security check on the bottom floor,_" A voice on the overhead chimes, and Duo groans as the message begins repeating in multiple languages. This is not a coincidence. They were spotted? Was Wufei reported as a hostile? Was Duo? Is ESUN itself in on this, or did one of the many factions of Sojuznyj just manage to infiltrate the shuttle ports?

A equally pleasant female voice suddenly chimes on the overhead, "_Ty takaja chestnaja._"

Russian. Duo's on guard immediately, but it doesn't help - he's _yanked_ down hard by the hand holding his.

"Wha - " Wufei has him off balance and he slams his leg into the back of Duo's knee. Duo drops, and Wufei's on him. Duo's larger size suddenly feels like a weakness, lumbering and slow, too slow to stop Wufei from slamming his entire weight into Duo's neck and chest, knocking the wind out of him.

Duo stares up, dazed. Black eyes, no longer warm coal or unfocused pools, but a kind of cold, calculating sharpness Duo could've sworn were unique to cobalt blue. There's a sudden flash of gold in those eyes, fast enough that Duo might have imagined it. Duo is stunned, blinking owlishly as Wufei lifts himself up. The entire attack took less than five seconds, and Duo is still trying to get his lungs to accept air as he watches Wufei effectively disarm a deeply confused cop, knocking him to the ground, spinning to take on his partner.

Wufei was right - those aren't his moves. That's not how Wufei moved at all, he was nothing like this tiny jackhammer pounding ruthlessly through each body. Wufei had been smooth and fluid and untouchable. This was more like -

"_Rasslab'sja, ja jetim zajmus!_"

Wufei drops.

Heero.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes**: The line 'rise and fall of a daily victory' is paraphrased from 'The Pointless, Yet Poignant, Crisis of a Co-ed' by Dar Williams. The song doesn't really relate at all to this story beyond that one line, but I couldn't find a way to rephrase the sentiment once the line popped in my head. :P

x

Sex was not the problem. Which actually came as a surprise because Duo's first suspicion about Heero was that he'd be clueless in bed, and he was absolutely right. But Duo was always drawn to Heero, they orbited each other, circled each other, and fit so well together when they'd finally give in and collide, despite any confusion or reluctance or fumbling or impatience.

There was this level of intimacy that's Duo's never achieved with anyone else. And he got addicted so quickly to feeling Heero pressed up against him, looking up at him and _trusting_, and how the hell is a man supposed to downgrade from cradling _Heero Yuy's_ trust in the palms of his hands? It's not going to happen. Nothing else in the universe is that hard won, that fragile, that - that _precious_. You can't have sex with Heero and not love him the rest of your goddamn life, not love him _most_, not need it again and again and again, Duo's sure of it.

It wasn't particularly amazing sex, though, don't get him wrong - it was more instinctive, the kind of thing that's naturally occurring, impossible to learn, like a pair of birds that mate for life and just know like it's written in their DNA the right sort of twig to bring back to the nest, what will make their bird mate the happiest.

And if they had been birds, it would've been perfect. If they didn't speak the same language, it would've been perfect. If they only had simple gestures to communicate with in the mornings, smiles and nods and that was all - but that couldn't be all. Not to say that it didn't work for a while! Hell, it worked when they 'lived together' during missions, in a sort of zombie-esque tandem. Sleeping in shifts and trading off binoculars, noiselessly dressing in the mornings, too tired to do more than nod at each other and grunt, sharing a look of breathless victory over a rifle and a snagged target, unable to even breath loudly for risk of breaking cover, but all that mattered was that acknowledgement in Heero's eyes, that slight nod.

But Duo couldn't, and can't, live like that, and he knows Heero doesn't want to live like that, he's said as much, in heartbreaking shows of vulnerability that made Duo want to wrap him up in sleeping bags and blankets and never let him leave the house again.

But - neither of them really knew what they were doing. The most functional relationship Duo witnessed as a kid was between a freaking priest and a nun and not exactly the kind of lifestyle he wanted to emulate. Still, he tried, as best he could. As best as any seventeen year old could. And Heero started to resent it as best as any seventeen year old could, which was pretty freaking best.

At the end of the day, Duo knows life before fighting in a war. He became God of Death before he ever saw a Gundam, he was surviving on his own before he became a soldier, he knew how to live in the rise and fall of a daily victory. And sure, Duo enjoyed, and enjoys, his work with the Preventers, and is pretty goddamn feral, and has come to terms with his work during the war, but it's not something he defines himself by. Heero never had a chance to be anything but a soldier, had nothing else to define himself by, and even with peace, even with a life, a life, with Duo, that logically should mean more than whatever mission Une was going to send them on next, he just didn't know how to live it.

Duo denied this, then tried to accept it. Then couldn't accept it, and decided to show him how it was done. Couldn't bring himself to say it, to force it. It sat between them like an angry mammoth, both Heero and Duo diverting their gaze politely.

Of course started Heero pulling away, closing off, growing rougher and colder and more and more curt, so Duo - Duo started doing the same to him at night, out of petty anger and resentment. Which wasn't fair. It wasn't fair how he started testing Heero in bed, pushing his boundaries, making demands. He knew he crossed a few lines, and wasn't surprised when Heero started pulling away there, too. Wasn't surprised when he left.

But Duo isn't seventeen anymore, he's old enough to want to _strangle himself_ out of embarrassment when he thinks back on how he tried to force feed Heero a life that even he himself couldn't swallow.

Duo doesn't even know what to say to him now. Like, not the _immediate_ now, in the immediate now Duo is barreling down a highway and going deaf in the ear closest to Heero, which is also closest to the gunfire.

_BLAM BLAM BLAM_, it's like getting punched in the ear.

But eventually they won't be - the tail they picked up as soon as they exited the shuttleport will be lost long enough for them to abandon their first stolen car in a parking lot, hotwire a second one and drive to Bludhaven. Words will eventually have to be said. Hilariously, Duo finds himself sweating more about that then the two armed men firing at their tires.

The moment comes sooner than he anticipated, a silence settling over the car once they make it to the interstate, the traffic thinning as he reaches the state boarder. Soon it feels kind of pointed that they're the only ones on this road, like the universe itself is coughing awkwardly into its fist, waiting.

"So, how'd you find me?" Duo asks, sudden and chipper. He probably could've guessed that that would be the first thing said once the two of them met up again. The _why_ goes unasked, because he's not going to ruin his high of seeing Heero again, and he already knows the answer. Heero's here because someone told him to come, because that's the only reason he does anything.

Heero eyes him before answering, like he's somehow surprised that Duo broke the silence. "The only shuttleports with direct L2 connections are in New York and London." And Heero knew Duo would be heading to Earth, and that he wouldn't pick London.

"Yeah? And when'd they start playing that message in the port?" Duo asks. "That - trigger phrase."

"When Une broke atmosphere," Heero says, then pauses. "It's on rotation at every colony port."

Duo smiles. It's Heero-brand kindness: reassuring Duo that his moves weren't obvious enough for everyone to guess. Not that it matters now, after Wufei's display in the shuttleport, they have a lock on his general location. Duo makes the note: when traveling with victims of brainwashed trigger phrases, do not use public transport. He'll hijack something private to make it to Japan, later.

"So you seem to have a better handle on what's going on. Any guess on how long he's gonna be out?" Duo asks, eying Wufei's limp form in the backseat. They've strapped him in place with the seatbelt, but the way he flops with each turn is disconcerting, especially during that chase through New York, it was like watching a rag doll.

Heero glances over his shoulder. "We should start observing him in about three hours. At that point he'll be in stand-by until we wake him up."

The mechanical way he says it is chilling, almost like a threat - and besides, Duo had his fill of that eerily zombie-like status.

He reaches back, prodding Wufei's knee with his finger. "Hey. _Nam nuzhen perevodchik._"

Heero's eyes widen fractionally. "No - "

But Wufei's already waking up, in that unnatural series of jerks and stuttered Mandarin. "M-Maxwell - when - " Wufei asks, blinking his eyes into focus, slowing sitting up, eyes darting to take in the general space of the car.

"305 AC," Duo says. "You've been asleep one hundred years. I am a hologram."

"Apparently programmed with Maxwell's sense of humor." Wufei does his best to glare into the review mirror Duo's watching him through, but he's still regrouping from the wake up call and it's weak, even his voice shakes slightly. He blinks in surprise when he sees Heero in the passenger side. "Yuy."

"Chang," Heero nods.

There's something oddly familiar about the greeting, it's practiced and routine, and Duo narrows his eyes in suspicion but Heero's on him immediately.

"Did you only read the first page of the report?" he asks, sounding flat and bored, but Duo knows this. This is Heero-brand frustration.

Heero's expression grows somehow flatter when he realizes yes. Yes, Duo did.

"He has to go through stand-by status before going to true consciousness," Heero tells him, obviously annoyed at having to do so.

"He's not a computer," Duo says.

"Obviously," Heero says. "And irrelevant to the fact that this is a consistent piece of intel I've received from the men connected to this project."

"Well, it looks like he's _bypassed_ stand-by status just fine," Duo says, gesturing toward Wufei, who's watching the two of them argue silently, eyes wide and obviously confused: for Heero, this kind of open annoyance is on par with a flying rage. "And those sources are the _bad guys_, remember? Not really looking out for his best interest!"

"These are the people who value greed over life," Heero actually snaps. "Over peace. Over anything. They're not going to - waste something they've spent resources on."

Duo scoffs at the phrasing. "_'_Waste'? And_ 'something'_? Really, Heero - "

"Knock it off!" Wufei suddenly barks. He's gripping his seatbelt across his chest with both hands, an almost frightened posture that contrasts violently with his angry tone. "I will not sit here and listen to the two of you _discuss_ me! It's highly distressing!"

Duo clears his throat. He turns on the radio. Something tinny and poppy starts, and Duo is not feeling happy or vindictive enough to sing obnoxiously along. Heero looks sullenly out the window - oh, sorry. He _observes and catalogues_ the events of their drive. Duo grips the steering wheel tighter. Fucking fucker.

How did that happen? And escalate so quickly? Does Heero just _want_ to pick up directly where they left off, snippy and cold? Duo's not entirely sure in the aftermath, but it certainly felt like Heero was the one who started it, and his own defenses just rose on instinct: aggressor sighted, ready to engage, and Duo can't afford to take any serious damage, not on this battlefield. He's too shot up already. No admitting weakness, no falling back, just attack. Gain ground. Ha, Heero's trained him well.

The silence continues once they've reached the hideout, an old farmhouse surrounded on all sides and isolated by neighboring fields of wheat and cabbage. They troop inside, and Duo is pleasantly surprised to find the lightbulbs are still good. Unfortunately, the food Duo forgot to dump before he left last time didn't fare as well. He wraps them up in a garbage bag and tosses the rancid stuff as far as he can into the wheat field, where it falls with an audible thud.

"I'm going to get supplies," Heero says. He pauses, gives a pointed look to the mission folder sitting on the kitchen, then back to Duo, before heading out the door.

x

"Didn't Yuy tell you to read the report?"

"Yep," Duo says. He continues scrubbing the stubborn insides of the metal barrel, doing his best to scrape the muck of disuse off. He wants to get this done before sunset - the porch lights have never worked - and it's already nearing twilight.

He keeps the electricity connected and running at his various hide outs, but sporadic water use leads to burst pipes in areas like this, and isn't really worth the expense - not that money is a real concern of Duo's, but it's the principle of the thing. At this particular hide out, he brushes his teeth with bottled water and shits in the fields. When baths are required, they're courtesy of the neighbor's plumbing, hijacked pipe, stolen hose, and take place in this barrel.

And bathing is definitely a necessity in this case.

"What are you doing?" Wufei asks from the porch, watching Duo wash out the barrel for the last time, satisfied when the water pours back out clear as it went in.

"Just getting some things ready," Duo says. He maneuvers the barrel onto the heater, and drapes the hose over the edge. It'll be full enough in a half hour, and hot enough for a bath about fifteen minutes after that. Duo grunts, stretching his back after all that scrapping. He's had some pretty strenuous workouts and beatings but nothing knots up a back like scrubbing metal, and sadly he's had enough experience in all three areas to know.

"I fail to understand how fiddling with a bucket is preparation for anything useful," Wufei says, crossing his arms.

"Yeah? You're probably right. Probably about as useful as standing around and just watching someone fiddle with a bucket."

Wufei scowls and turns to head inside, presumably to do something awesomely useful, but when Duo follows him in later, Wufei's in the sparsely furnished living room, staring out the window as if fascinated by the fields outside.

"Hey, I need you for something out here," Duo says, which is not a lie, but sounds slightly better than the full truth: he's pretty sure Wufei is going to object to being bathed in a barrel. He's right.

"_Maxwell!_"

Wufei scrabbles for the edge of the barrel once he surfaces from being dropped in without any warning. He glares up at Duo in a brilliant impression of a wet, angry cat.

Duo smirks, puts his hand on the kid's head and dunks him under again.

Wufei comes up again, fighting as he does. "Stop - ! Just - " he bats at Duo's hands wildly, pushing to the other side of the container but it's small, and he's still within arm's reach. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

"When was the last time you bathed?" Duo asks. Wufei sputters, wiping his hair away from his face, his shirt billowing around him in the water. Duo feels a little like an ass; Wufei didn't even know what year it was, he probably wasn't exactly kept posted on his hygiene.

"Not that you smell or anything," Duo adds quickly, which earns him an out and out snarl and some grit teeth. Aw. But Duo's telling the truth, Wufei didn't smell. He just had a general grime of neglect, a kind of neglect that Duo is very familiar with. The kind that says a child's personal comfort is not a necessity to his caretakers, not a requirement, and so it's going to be ignored until the last possible moment, or when they bother to remember. He dumps a ridiculous amount of shampoo into his palms - the last of it, so Wufei had better be grateful - and is still scrubbing the little head thoroughly, ignoring the flailing arms and hollered protests - _I am capable of doing this myself!_ - when the sound of tires on a dirt road catches his attention.

It's Heero, but that is not the car that he left with, so Duo can only assume that he ran into some trouble. Wufei quickly uses the distraction to pull himself free, dunking his head in the water to rinse before Duo can force him down again. Not that he was planning to. Probably.

Heero pulls into the driveway slowly, the car door shuts.

"Let that sit," Duo instructs Wufei, the conditioner worked thoroughly into his hair. Wufei glares up at him but does as Duo says, hanging on the edge of the rim and resting his chin on his little fists, hair sticking out ridiculously.

He walks to the car, where Heero is still gathering the supplies, and grabs half the bags, helping him carry the stuff inside.

Heero does not like apologies. They frustrate him. Debriefing, though. "So, I pissed you off pretty bad, didn't I?" Duo asks when they make it into the kitchen.

"Hn." Heero unloads the food onto the counter.

"Honestly, I'm pretty confused about how that all happened," Duo says.

There's a pause. "You're ill-prepared for this mission. Willfully."

"Considering how little warning I had, I think I'm doing pretty good."

"You had three hours from V-0332 to Earth," Heero says. "I assume you had the report with you the entire time."

"Pffft, you know I can't read on flights, it makes me airsick."

Heero stares, not even bothering to give that a response, which Duo supposes is pretty much a mercy. "Did you read it? While I was gone?"

"Well, Wufei needed - hey!" Heero's turning from him, walking up the stairs. "What crawled up your ass and died?"

"I should have two partners on this mission," Heero says without turning around. "Instead I have to compensate for two targets."

Strangely, Duo finds himself more offended for Wufei's sake. Well, maybe not so strange. Duo has no doubts about his own abilities, and can freely scoff at the idea of Heero having to _compensate_ for his weakness. Whereas Wufei can't really help what state he's in, and would no doubt be any combination of enraged/hurt/humiliated by Heero's assessment.

It's officially sundown by the time Duo comes back out about a minute later, and Wufei still hasn't dunked his head. Duo pauses from a distance, watching. Wufei's soaked shirt and pants are on the ground beside the heater, and the boy himself is using the soap, movements slow and careful, obviously enjoying the bath more than he'd want Duo to know.

Duo makes a bit of a production of walking across the gravel driveway with the towel and change of clothes, giving Wufei enough time to slip his _Damn You, Maxwell!_ mask properly into place. Wufei sees him coming and quickly disappears from sight, dunking his head, rinsing out the conditioner.

"Missed a bit," Duo says when Wufei comes back up. A bit is an understatement, his hair still thick with it. Duo really worked it in there. Wufei sighs shortly, weathering Duo's hands on his head one more time.

There's something oddly satisfying about washing the conditioner out of Wufei's hair, especially after that fight, feeling the fine strands soften beneath his fingers, zero resistance. His own touch becomes softer in response, a little more gentle, and Wufei stares up at him with an openly suspicious look as Duo works. Guarded.

Duo has a sudden flash of some kind of reverse deja vu, Sister Helen's tender smile as she helped Duo in the bath, carefully picking through his hair for dirt and twigs and ticks. Cheerfully ignoring Duo's mistrustful looks, hands soft and gentle in his hair.

The memory is a particularly tender one, and Duo is startled by its sudden arrival, easily bowled over by it. He pulls both hands away sharply.

"That should do it," Duo says, a tight smile. Wufei climbs out, towels down, and redresses quickly in a shirt of Duo's he keeps in the closets here, old but clean. Duo balls up the wet, thin scrubs he'd been wearing before. "Now, tell me that doesn't feel about a billion times better."

"What I'll _tell you_," Wufei sputters from under the towel drying his hair. "is that manhandling me into that filthy barrel was low, even for you!"

"Right, my mistake," Duo says, and lifts the little prince up so his precious bare feet won't have to walk across the gravel. He's worn down to his bones, emotionally drained, wrung, beaten and left to hang, hands twitching at the thought of sleeping in the same building as Heero. God, he can't wait to get to sleep, for this day to be over. Not that tomorrow promises to be any different.

x

Wufei remembers this man. This is the man who stole his life. He's very old, and has a bland, unremarkable face, caused mostly by his lack of chin and watery pale eyes.

This man injects Wufei with chemicals. He measures the distance between Wufei's shoulder and wrist. He asks Wufei questions and writes down the answers. He has Wufei run and jump and stretch and writes down the results.

Wufei had no memories of his capture. He simply woke up here, in this lab, and they did their best to convince him he was in Preventer custody - the fact that Wufei fell for this is deeply shameful in its stupidity and he will never say as much to anyone. But he believed it, and because of this, he cooperated, mostly. He was easily confused once they started with the treatments. He knew every time he went down for one that he was becoming smaller and weaker, and he asked questions, made demands, and they were ignored.

Wufei watches almost curiously as this man, the one with the watery eyes, walks around the room in Duo's apartment, setting up his equipment quietly. How did he get in? Could a man that old and feeble really get past Heero Yuy?

Wufei is strapped to the bed - as per usual for their encounters - and he stiffens as the man approaches.

"Don't worry, 05," he says. He was always saying that. That and, _it'll be over soon, 05._ and, _That wasn't so bad, was it, 05?_ and his favorite, _This will only sting a little._

Wufei should call for Heero, or Duo, but he can't. He can't do anything they don't want him to do, ever, it doesn't matter how hard he tries.

"Is he ready?"

Wufei gaps in open shock. Master O's massive, familiar silhouette appears in the doorway - and Wufei can see behind him, where it appears the rest of Duo's apartment has turned into the center, scientists walking around in labcoats and tinkering with equipment, clipboards.

"Ready," says the man.

"Now, this will only sting a little," Master O says, almost kindly. He cocks back a pistol, presses it to the side of Wufei's head, and pulls the trigger.

Wufei wakes up, shaking. Trembling. He stares at his shaking, trembling hands. These are not his hands.

He's not strapped to the bed and he's willing to bet that the center is not set up in Duo's living room. He sits up in bed, rubbing against the entry point of the bullet, his right temple.

It's still dark. He can hear the nightbugs talking to one another outside his window, and is quickly distracted from the dream. The closest things they had to pets in L5 was germs. Other colony clusters welcomed domesticated animals to make the environment feel more like home, but L5, and especially Wufei's colony, had been less about comfort and more about preparation. There were no insects, no cats, no dogs, no birds or rodents or reptiles, and Wufei finds himself curious about the animals in a way he wasn't the first time he visited this planet. Duo had said something earlier about how some of the bugs, fireflies, had backsides that lit up like light bulbs. He assumed it to be the regular Maxwell nonsense until twilight, when tiny specks of light could be seen darting around the fields outside. How had he missed that the last time he was on Earth?

He finds himself at the window now, looking down at the ground below him critically. Nothing down there is lighting up, backsides or otherwise, and Wufei frowns in disappointment. Maybe they only live in the fields.

The temptation to sneak out to investigate properly is a strong one, but Wufei reigns himself in sharply. That would, of course, be the height of ridiculousness! Wandering around a strange, open territory alone at this hour? And under these conditions? And fireflies have absolutely of value to add to the task at hand. Almost definitely.

Still he presses his face against the glass and peers out, trying his best to see into the distant field. Nothing.

Wufei sighs, leans against the wall beside the window and allows his body to slowly slide down, to the ground.

That had been an awful dream. Vivid enough to feel like a memory.

Wufei decides to meditate!

If Duo is right, and it really is 205, it's been almost five years since he was able to do so last. It's a troubling realization, half a decade of missed time, where his body danced along obediently to the wills of others. He frowns tightly about this, hugging himself defensively. A depth of fear and sadness he hadn't anticipated is welling up inside him, threatening to swallow him whole.

But if he wants to meditate then he can't focus on sadness and fear, can he? No, he has to find his center.

He recalls when he was first learning the practice of meditation. He had been about the age his body is now, and as with most of the children in his temple, he saw only the very basic steps of the process: the position, and silence. He and his clan brothers spent most of the alloted meditation hour squirming around, closing their eyes tight, trying to mimic the physical cues of their master without understanding the meaning, stifling coughs, peeking open one eye every so often.

Wufei squirms now, trying to find a comfortable position. He tries to find his center but there are several things blocking his way, disturbing and tantalizing and frightening and distracting - those missing five years, fireflies, Master O. Duo.

Duo.

Wufei's mouth goes slack and he feels - his consciousness - sucked down a very tight - tube. He's not aware of it when his body slumps against the wall.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes**: Sorry about being unclear in previous notes but don't worry, this is going to end with Duo and Heero together - by 'backseat' I meant it's not going to be the center of the story's _emotional heart_, if that makes sense. :)

Additionally, I firmed up the timeline for this story and realized I needed to tweak the previous two chapters a bit. Mostly I trimmed and edited a handful of words, but one or two conversations do take a significantly different route, so if you're curious you might want to reread. :)

.

.

.

"_Oaf -_ !"

Thu-_thud_.

"Nngh - ah - "

_THUNK._

The familiar, rhythmic sounds of a fight had been a sort of reverse lullaby, luring Duo awake gently.

"Pace yourself."

The voice is a sudden, quick shove into consciousness. Duo's eyes fly open and he's out of bed, staring out the window at the backyard below. Duo scrambles for one wild second, all of his thoughts amounting to a flailing _Heero(?)_ before yesterday's events catch up with him.

Heero and Wufei are sparring in the early morning light, and it's immediately apparent just which body was making the majority of the thuds and thunks as it was thrown against the ground. Wufei is covered in dirt, sweating, scowling in frustration. Without his trigger phase he's obviously nowhere near his usual strength or skill and Heero's easily pulling apart his defenses, knocking him down with movements that are actually slow and telegraphed enough for even Duo to dodge. Duo watches Wufei topple forward over Heero's leg, landing hard on his chest, _whumping_ into the ground.

Heero waits patiently for Wufei to pick himself back up, and resumes the match.

Duo settles in to watch, resting his chin in his palm. It's not like Wufei's doing _horribly_. He's light on his feet, bouncing quickly away from Heero's kicks and swipes, but his hits obviously don't hold near enough impact, his reach is severely limited, and when Heero gets a hit in -

"_Ah_ - " his feet are swept out from under him, and he lands on his backside with a startled cry.

Heero grunts, which apparently means something to Wufei because he nods and doesn't attempt to stand.

Ah, they're taking a break.

Heero settles down in the dirt, breathing normally, looking almost bored. Wufei sits beside him, entire body rising and falling with each panting breath.

"We should make plans for Kyoto," Wufei says after a beat of silence, and Duo stands up straighter in surprise. Where'd he hear about Kyoto? A spectacularly good guess from Heero, maybe . . . ?

"Is that the next location?" Heero asks. Or not.

"Yes, and we should head there today. We're too close to the shuttleport," Wufei says, importantly. "They were probably searching through the night and it's only a matter of time - "

"We'll lay low as long as possible. Conserve our energy." Heero stands, ignoring Wufei's scowl. "Stretch."

Wufei's scowl grows darker, watching Heero head inside the house, but he doesn't argue, climbing to his feet. Wipes off his shirt. Starts going through a series of movements Duo's seen before, during various long term Preventer missions, though they're a little clumsier than Duo remembered.

Duo frowns.

The Preventers have official Worst Case Scenario, Endgame-type take down orders for all their special agents, and Duo made it his business to read the ones on Agents 01 through 05; Quatre's recommended an immediate full frontal rush and isolated confinement, not allowing him any time to prepare. Duo's and Trowa's recommended surrounding and overpowering. Heero and Wufei's were strict: sniper only, and Wufei's had this huge warning: _KILL ZONE 10FT_. Any hostile, any agent, within ten feet of Wufei was considered lost, the walking dead. It was a warning to agents: if you got that close to Chang Wufei, there wasn't going to be any rescue. It had made Duo smile at the time, and watching Wufei now, struggling to complete this routine, he's. . . .

Duo's not sure what he's feeling right now, but he's feeling something. Annoyed isn't right. _Tired_. He feels tired. Tired of faceless organizations who feel like it's their right to fuck around with anyone within their reach. Duo's never claimed to be an expert at reading people but the importance Wufei put on the ability to fight was pretty obvious, it was a skill that might have rooted his entire sense of self, his whole identity, but whatever. Russian Assholes wanted to jerk him around, twist him into some brand new shape, so they did.

Heero's back.

The door shuts beneath Duo, and Heero walks back into the yard, tossing Wufei a bottle of water. It hits Wufei's palm, then hits the ground before he can get a proper grip on it. Hands too small.

They pick the match back up, but it quickly becomes apparent that what Duo caught before was a warm up.

"_Ah -_ !" Wufei bites down on his cry of pain. Heero is moving fast and hard, dodging all of Wufei's strikes, retaliating mercilessly, knocking Wufei back then hitting twice before he makes it to the ground.

Duo frowns. This can't be necessary. This is ruthless, the kind of ruthless Heero was surely put through as a child and Duo can't figure out for the life of him why he'd want to inflict that on anyone else. After a strike to the head, Wufei stumbles back dazedly, keeping in a fighter's stance but he's obviously out of it. Heero watches, his own stance straight up _bored_, then falling on Wufei again once he's back in the game. Knocking him back again, and this time Wufei attempts to block it, raising both arms to cross over his head but Heero smashes through it easily, throwing Wufei to the dirt at the end of it.

Jesus.

"'Morning!" Duo says, strolling hyper-casually into the yard. They don't stop, or even grunt to acknowledge his presence.

Wufei's wiping at his face, expression dark, desperate. Obviously struggling to keep his head above water. Failing when Heero smashes his knee into his little side, sending him stumbling.

"Jeez! That had to hurt. What'd he do to piss you off, Heero? Piss in your corn flakes?" It's a false kind of chipper that even Heero can read through by now.

"It's training," Heero says, eerily monotone, watching Wufei clear his head, catch his breath.

"Seems more like a beating from where I'm standing," Duo says, just barely letting the cold edge underline his words. "Maybe try taking it a little easier."

Heero doesn't even bother to answer. Maybe what he does next is to prove some demented point to Duo. One hit to Wufei's unguarded solar plexus, the air rushes out of Wufei in an awful sounding cry, and he drops to the ground, curled around his stomach.

"Fuck, man!" It's Duo who yells, Duo who says anything either way, or does anything – Heero pulls back, but keeps quiet.

"I'm _fine_," Wufei snarls, all baby tiger, pushing himself away from Duo's reach, still wincing in pain and curled protectively around his stomach.

"Like hell," Duo mutters, but lets him scramble free. "That's your definition of _easier_?"

Heero actually seems somewhat disquieted – maybe he expected Wufei to be able to dodge that. But he stands his ground, crossing his arms defensively as an answer.

Duo scoffs. "Doesn't look like any kind of training I've ever seen before. This how they did it back on L5, Wufei?" But Wufei doesn't meet his gaze. "That's a _no_. So, why – "

"It can't be helped!" Wufei snaps, trying so hard for that arrogance, but pain has him grimacing. "I refuse to be a risk on the field."

"Well, that's something you'll – wait. What? Risk on the field . . . ?" Duo stares. "You – go on missions? You're _active_?"

Wufei just stares, eyes flitting toward Heero for direction.

"Une sends you – ? With who? What partner would be crazy enough – ?" But why did Duo even bother asking?! He levels his gaze to Heero.

Heero is not ashamed. He stands a little straighter. "He's an agent – "

Duo's opening his mouth to interrupt, when all three pilots freeze.

The soft but impossibly distinct noise of weight shifting from one boot to the other.

Hostiles.

It came toward the side of the farmhouse, near the barrel, still full of Wufei's used bath water.

Previous argument immediately cast aside, Heero looks to Duo, then to the right – gesturing for Duo to flank on that side while Heero and – Wufei will take the left?

Duo waves both arms _no!_ at that, pointing directly at Heero, who can take the left on his own. He then points Wufei to the crops, which will provide cover for him while they take care of the hostiles.

Heero's jaw tightens and as he stabs an arm out, a sweeping motion blocking Wufei's path to the crops – _No. We shouldn't separate._

They're running out of time, they'll only have coverage for so long if the hostiles are rounding the side of the house. Duo rolls his eyes and goes to the right without waiting for Heero's approval. He hasn't been a team player in a long, long ass time.

He doesn't get a good look at the hostile's face, the guy is in full on gear from head to toe, which would suck if Duo hadn't cut his teeth fighting men in Libras and Leos. Duo's nowhere near Heero or Wufei's level in hand to hand, but he's quiet, quick and his moves tend to be surprising, bold and stupid enough that it sends most footmen into a useless tizzy.

"Hiya!" he says, popping up on their surprise visitor. He grabs the steaming hot muzzle of a rifle that fires blindly in surprise, yanks it toward the ground and slams his foot into the side of the guy's neck. "Bye-a!"

He's got the rifle in his hands before the guy hits the ground, whirling around to see how many more had been flanking the guy. Four, and they pull back when Duo starts firing in their direction with deadly accuracy – he makes contact at least twice.

"Ow," Duo says, blowing at his stinging, reddened palm, falling back to Heero and Wufei. "Saw nine, but there's probably more. There's a private airfield about a mile off, through the wheat. I say we go for it."

Wufei glances toward Heero for his cue, still trying to brush off that hit to the stomach. _An active agent_, Duo thinks, his rage spiking. But he's brought back to task by Heero's short nod. Speed over stealth, they bolt into the field and start booking it.

Unfortunately, it doesn't take the agents long to regroup, and they're not particularly interested in a wild goose chase through the wheat fields.

"Hear that?" Duo pants out as they run. He doesn't need a response, it's impossible to miss, and the sound, too, is rising. The snapping, popping, building to a dull roar.

They're torching the field.

Duo and Heero start running in earnest now, easily overtaking Wufei, who Heero grabs for as they run past, swinging him up, never slowing down, the movement fluid and effortless.

Duo looks to his side, where the dirt road cuts through the field. They're not there yet, but Duo's certain the hostiles will be driving up that road, then cutting them off on the other side, before they can reach the airfield.

Heero's faster than Duo – he can tell he's holding himself back to keep them from being separated.

"_Keep moving!_" Duo hollers, straining to be heard over the sound of the blaze. Heero doesn't nod, but immediately his stride practically doubles, faster, propelling himself forward at what seems like an inhuman speed.

There's not much time to admire it - the sound of the fire is growing, and Duo can start to smell it in the air, taste it, knows he's breathing it. He can see the fire in his mind's eye, crawling threw the field at the same speed as Heero, impossible to outrun. A primal part of himself is starting to grow anxious, feeling cornered, feeling his resources dwindling, but to a former child soldier, this is nothing more than a tickle at the back of his mind, a fear that's easily identified, cataloged, and set aside, a process he perfected many, many years before. Duo turns, cuts across the field, whipping through the wheat stalks.

There's a cheap, split rail fence separating the field from the dirt road, which is great, cause Duo is alone, and unarmed, and is going to have to get pretty creative if he's going to slow down a convoy of armored vehicles.

It might not have worked as well if the agents had been driving carefully, but of course they aren't, they're roaring down the road at full speed and the large chunk of wood tossed at their windshield is too fast to break and avoid. It plows through the glass on the driver's side, sticking out awkwardly as the car swerves, and at that speed, a swerve pretty much leads immediately to rolls. The front end of the car is blocking the road, and when the second car, following way too close to be safe, plows into it, they end up flipping, skidding to a stop on their side, effectively blockading the road for the rest of the cars.

They're forced to break, skidding wildly as they do, plowing into the fences on either side of the road. They're at a cold stop and that has to be enough time for Duo, Heero and Wufei to get off the ground, and out of Jersey.

Supplies have sprayed across the dirt road from the first upended car. Duo pauses just a moment to gather what looks like a Preventor-grade holster, delighted to find the guns inside are fully loaded as he hops back over the fence, back into the field, running.

Yikes.

It's not in his imagination anymore, he can feel the heat of the fire now, and he reconsiders that carefully compartmentalized fear of the fire from before: This might be serious shit.

He can feel the first cough tickling at the back of his throat and wants to hold it in, suppress it, not give off any unnecessary clues to his location, but he's not Heero. He's fit, sure, but this is a lot of running in any circumstance, and holding his breath is impossible longer than four strides. He finally lets it out, a hoarse, barking cough, and hears an immediate echo. Then another – shit – the hostiles have abandoned their cars in favor of a rather suicidal foot pursuit into a blazing, smoking wheat field.

Covering the lower half of his face with his arm, Duo does his best to smother his cough, trying to speed up, ignoring the instinct screaming to run along the outside of the field, he moves deeper in, into the thicker smoke, trying to draw the quickest path from his current position to the airfield, ignoring the random _BLAM_s of blind gunshots behind him, the hostile agents apparently hoping to get off a lucky shot.

He's stumbling, eyes watering, by the time he makes it to the end of the field, barely able to hop the fence, practically falling over the other side of the chainlink fence of the airfield property.

"Shit," he wheezes once landing on the other side, swaying a bit, trying to brace himself on his knees. Clear his lungs and his vision, blinking furiously. "Shit," he gasps again, and forces himself to stumble forward. Heero. Where's Heero?

This is the rear of the lot, and the area's empty but for Heero's familiar figure, crouched at the hanger's door. He's obviously fiddling with the lock and Duo's thankful Heero decided to have the patience to try for lock picking rather than brute force. There's no security on site, but there is floodlights, screaming alarms and a lot of attention.

Duo's hurrying forward, scanning the surrounding area for a smaller figure, possibly keeping watch – Duo pauses. There's gunfire.

. . . Where's Wufei?

Duo turns, now hurrying in the opposite direction. Hoping back over the chainlink fence, toward a sudden drop that Heero and Wufei must have climbed to get to the airfield -

Oh, God.

There are two men who have planted their feet, coughing too hard to aim properly at their target, but doing their best. Their target clings, apparently paralyzed with fear, to the side of the wall. Wufei's almost directly below Duo, and he can see the white knuckled grip on the knotted roots, the way he curls a little tighter with each gunshot.

Duo yanks both guns from his holsters and mows down the agents, popping them off one after another, their bodies dropping to the ground, limp and lifeless just as easy as that. He waits for a beat, but there's no movement. Not from the bodies down there, and not from Wufei, still clinging to the wall.

"You're clear!" Duo calls down after a moment, and his throat protests with a fit of violent coughs. He can see through watering eyes that Wufei isn't respond. He's shaking.

Duo bites down hard on his moan of sympathy, knowing it's not welcome here. He wipes his eyes dry irritably and quickly scales back down the incline until he reaches Wufei.

"Hey, Wufei - "

"I'm not a coward!"

Wufei's eyes are shut tight, head tucked down, cheek pressed hard into the dirt. He's refusing to meet Duo's gaze or even allowing Duo to see his face.

"Man, I already know that."

"And we - we should've left for Kyoto!" Wufei says, obviously trying to sound accusing, but his voice is so unsteady.

"I know," Duo says. He wants to touch Wufei, who is still trembling, and Duo knows it's probably out of shame just as much as it is fear. "That was a mistake. But it's safe for us to move now. Those guys are gone."

"I know they are!" Wufei bites out.

He doesn't move.

"Here," Duo says, and just goes for it: wraps an arm around Wufei's middle and starts to pull him to his side. Wufei clings harder, resisting just for a moment, but then his hands start to loosen, accepting Duo's help -

"_Schastlivogo puti._"

The tension in Wufei's body vanishes. He lifts his head, and his expression's blank. He immediately begins climbing the wall, moving effortlessly. Mechanically.

Duo glances up at Heero, who doesn't bother to wait at the top, already returning to the hanger.

x

Longhorn 255 is a nice enough jet, it's civilian rather than military which makes it a little flimsier than the stuff Duo's used to, and the entire cabin shakes during take off, stabilizing only once they've reached thirty thousand feet and autopilot's flipped on. But it's made for the spoiled and rich, so they'll have showers and beds on their way to Kyoto, which is a luxury Duo's only had on space-faring ships.

For the record, Duo is not mad because Heero lost track of his partner. Duo's been on enough missions that have gone straight to hell to know how quickly a simple, straightforward plan can unravel. Sometimes, your partner is supposed to be covering you in the watchtower, but come to find he's actually undercover as a guard and arresting you, and neither of you did anything wrong. Sometimes one partner has his hands free and has to climb to the top in order to take out an immediate threat, and the remaining partner has to fend for himself for a minute or two before catching up. It's why agents have to be so quick on their feet.

It's why five year olds _shouldn't be agents._

"What was that?" Duo asks, darkly. "Is this just a normal day for the two of you? You beat on him in your down time – "

"We were sparring," Heero says.

"_Look_ at him," Duo says. Wufei straightens when Duo points wildly at him, like it's an insult he'll have to physically defend against.

Heero's not giving anything, though, shoulders back and confident. "Getting him back in shape is top priority. He's not going to rely on trigger phrases to defend himself."

"Defend himself? Am I the only sane one on this plane? Heero – _look at him!_ He shouldn't be going on missions to begin with – "

"I am still an agent – "

Duo whirls around and stares hard at Wufei, and the ridiculous protest dies on his lips, which twist into a scowl.

"There's no reason for him to be risking his life when he's this compromised! _The war's over, Heero!_" He's wanted to say it for years. Years, he's yelled that to Heero in his mind's eye, in imaginary arguments. The fact that he's apparently gained a few more inches on Heero is only more satisfying as the smaller man's expression darkens, weathering Duo's rage.

"There's no reason to be training like we're gonna be climbing into Gundams tomorrow," Duo says. "There's no reason to trigger him when we're both there, as long as – " Duo has to physically restrain himself from finishing that with '_as long as we're not dumb enough to leave him alone_,' pointedly not looking over at Wufei himself. Duo clears his throat. "You know what? I'm pulling rank. Une put me on this, it's _my_ mission, and if you want to tag along you're gonna have to follow _my_ lead."

Who the hell even put Heero in charge of a severely compromised agent? That was just cruel to the both of them. Heero has his strengths: human intuitiveness is not one of them - ha, wow, Wufei's filthy, unkempt hair. Of course, it's exactly what Heero's brand of _care_ looks like: bare minimum. There's bitterness in this thought, frustration, enough to get satisfaction from this visible confirmation of Heero's failure.

Duo might be using Wufei as an excuse for past frustrations. Doesn't matter. The point still stands, and it's appropriate! A bruised, neglected child kept in a semi-catatonic state for a good percentage of a year, Duo can't come up with a more accurate embodiment for their failed relationship. And Duo's learned his lesson, he's not going to keep his mouth shut, twiddle his thumbs and hope.

"Wufei, you are not an active agent in this mission. You're not taking any risks, you're not going anywhere on your own, and you're not being triggered again."

"I can handle – "

"This is _my_ mission. _You_ are my mission. That makes it my call, and you, Chang, can go wait in the bathroom for me to start stitching you back together."

"I wasn't injured," Wufei mutters, but leaves for the bathroom anyway. Possibly just to escape this awful argument.

The bathroom door slides shut, and a long silence follows.

Heero is leaning against the wall beside the tiny kitchen space. He's staring forward listlessly, reminding Duo of a dog that knows its been scolded, tail between his legs, but isn't sure why. Duo . . . Duo starts to feel a little bad. It's so easy to make him into a monster. Into the bad guy. He never tries to sugarcoat his actions, make them any kind of pleasant before shoving them down your throat. But.

He looks frustrated, and confused. And so, so young.

"My mission," Heero's sudden voice is a surprise. "Is to keep Agent 05 in Preventer custody. This is a long term mission. It's impractical to leave him unarmed and unable to defend himself."

Duo closes his eyes, rubbing at a spot between his eyebrows. "I get what you're saying, but there's nothing to gain from pushing him this hard right now, when he's like this."

Heero blinks. Turns that gaze on Duo, confusion gone. "When?"

"What?"

"When is an appropriate time to push him, Duo?" Is that . . . annoyance?

"He obviously still has the basic knowledge," Duo says, shrugging, a little disarmed by the use of his name and not going to let it show. "Once this all gets straightened out and he's the right age again, he probably won't need that much pushing."

"You didn't read the report."

Duo is smart enough to follow that line to its logical conclusion, but doesn't want to. Desperately does not want to. "What do you mean?"

"It's irreversible," Heero says.

"What, you mean – he's _stuck_? This age?"

"He's aging at a normal rate. But that's all he'll do," Heero says.

"Still – that doesn't change anything," Duo says, but is that true . . . ? This isn't a simple escort mission anymore, and it never was for Heero. "You wouldn't expect Relena to defend herself – "

"He's not going to be captured again," Heero says, a bit suddenly, as though Duo had suggested just handing him over to avoid the hassle.

Duo backs off, stunned. Heero's hands are in fists.

"Relena has guards. If she was threatened we would know. Everyone would know."

But Wufei only has Heero, and what little self-defense he has left.

Duo had been so thoroughly in the headspace of their failed relationship – hadn't thought about Heero's feelings – it suddenly occurs to Duo for the first time that, according to that report, Heero was the first person to find Wufei. Heero doesn't have a lot of buttons, but he's willing to bet that seeing an old comrade in arms made so weak and vulnerable probably hit pretty hard.

Duo remembers Wufei's little forearms beaten a red that morning, red skin that will probably turn a rainbow of blues and purples and yellow bruises before they're healed. Heero-brand kindness. Jesus.

"He's not going to be captured again," Duo agrees, slowly. "I'm going to make sure of that. That's my mission now. But we're not triggering him again. Agreed, Agent 01?"

Heero grunts, retreating into the front of the jet, and Duo knows the only reason he doesn't argue is because of that technicality. That Duo is, temporarily, the team lead.

It'll do for now.

Feeling like he just went toe to toe against the Louisville Lip, Duo grabs a bag of ice from the cramped kitchen space before walking down the hall. Ready for round two.

"You need this bathroom more than I do," Wufei says as soon as the door opens. "You're filthy. Were you trying to camouflage yourself in soot?"

Duo considers himself in the mirror. He's rubbed a few spots clean on his face and hands, but is, otherwise, admittedly filthy. "Hey, whatever works, right?"

"You didn't actually – did you?" Wufei asks, peering at Duo suspiciously.

"No," Duo says, unable to hold in the laugh. "There wasn't time for camo. Or anything but running. So, I know you're _actually_ fine, but could you do me a favor and lift up your shirt? I just want to see for myself."

Duo is floored when Wufei goes along with this without so much as a put upon sigh. Where is this agreeableness coming from? Where's the stinging, festering wound of the Long Clan Prince's pride? Duo is tempted to believe that Wufei actually agreed with Duo back there, had been wanting to say it himself but trapped by his own pride and Heero's unrelenting expectations. But there's more of an oblivious air to Wufei than a relieved one, as though he simply isn't thinking about Duo's orders, or the argument that happened just outside the door. Are children this young just easily distracted . . . ?

Whatever the reason, Wufei simply pulls his shirt up and off, revealing the damage caused by Heero's attentions that morning across his skinny little chest.

Duo whistles, and reaches out to test the bruised skin, but Wufei immediately recoils.

"Maxwell! Clean yourself first!"

He snorts, considers teasing, but goes to the sink, rinsing off as best he can. He is again surprised by Wufei, who has moved to his knees on the toilet in order to assist, mopping up Duo's forearms with a damp hand towel and deeply solemn expression. It's actually a little more of a hindrance than help, but Duo's too surprised, and a little touched, to say so.

"Your face, too," Wufei says, with that same solemn little frown, and does his best to wipe Duo's face clean, unaware of the dribbling mess his soaked towel is making, of the sink, and the floor, and Duo's already dirty shirt. It should be intensely annoying, really, Wufei's touch is clumsy and unhelpful, basically leaving behind nothing but a smeared mess across Duo's face when Wufei decides he's done.

Duo forcibly swallows down how touched he actually is by this gesture, because he knows, in Wufei's mind, it would be for entirely the wrong reasons.

"Thank you," is what he actually says, and Wufei nods very selflessly, now allowing Duo to inspect the worrying lump on his ribs.

"Looks like it's just sprained," Duo says after a gentle but thorough probing. There's some dramatic bruising, but Wufei is in very little pain, and there's no sign of an actual break when he presses on either side of his swollen flesh.

"Here," Duo hands him the bag of ice, and Wufei presses it against his side wordlessly. "Now get out of here so I can take a proper shower."

Twenty minutes later, skin rubbed clean of the soot and hair damp, Duo settles into the cabin of the jet – the seats are some kind of fine, soft fabric that feels so expensive Duo gets a stab of vindictive glee as he rings his hair out over the empty seat beside him in order to start the tedious process of re-braiding his hair. Wufei, settled across from him, looks out the window.

"So I won't be fixed."

"Hunh?" Duo asks, peering up through a curtain of hair at Wufei, who's poking idly at the bag, which is now on the armrest instead of against his side.

"What Yuy told you – I'm stuck like this," Wufei said, jaw tight.

"Not stuck," Duo says, and is happy for the excuse to fall back into his hair for a moment. He had been wondering when the foot would drop. "You're already older than you were yesterday."

Wufei sighs in exasperation, rolling his eyes.

"But yeah, this is less temporary than I was thinking. And I guess that sucks," Duo says. "But right now we should stay focused on the mission."

"I'm not part of the mission, remember?" Wufei says, darkly. He's looking at Duo out the corner of his eye, and his profile, his expression, is suddenly so goddamn regal it's like a slap to the face.

"Point," Duo says, can't think of anything else. Can't offer an apology, can't pretend like he understands.

So he just finishes braiding his hair, then looks out the window.

Nothing left to do but wait for Kyoto.

He doesn't want to think about after that.


End file.
